2011 July | NY/NJ Bengali

RABINDRANATH: A REMEMBRANCE

July 26, 2011 on 2:19 pm | In Events | No Comments

August 7, 2011
12:00 pm	to	6:00 pm

The venue of the program by IIPA on the 7th August, Has been changed to CROSSROADS THEATRE, 7 Livingston Ave , New Brunswick, starting at 12 noon.The Artsuniversity auditorium has been shut down by fire marshal for safety hazard. . There will be launch available for a fee from 11am to 12. 30 pm. But seating should be complete by 12.30. for the start of the program. We have to vacate the auditorium by 6pm.
Would like to apologise for any inconvenience.
H.Guha. President. IIPA

Rabindranath: A Remembrance Participants:

Krishna Dutta: Author/ Biographer “Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad Minded Man” is the keynote
speaker of the event. Specializing in the cultural history of Bengal, her books include “Calcutta: A Cultural
and Literary History” was published to critical acclaim.

Professor Mohan Singh (Khangura): Born into a cultural family of music lovers of Punjab, Mohan
Singh was selected National Music Scholar by the Ministry of Education. At present he is the Head of
the department at Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. Mohan performs regularly on All India Radio as well as
in major concerts all over the world.

Biplab Mondal: Percussion virtuoso, Biplab is the most sought after accompanist in any Rabindra
Sangeet program. As a distinguished professor of Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata he has perfectly
epitomized the troves of theoretical knowledge and practical dexterity.

Dr. Subhasish Bhattacharya: A lecturer at Rabindra Bharati University, Subhasish is a well known face in
the performing arts circle for his excellent rendition of Classical dance style as well as Rabindrik Nritya.

Tapan Basu: With a strong musical background, Tapan has undertaken and executed several events
for Saregama, HMV, Chirag, ETV Bangla, Doordarshan, and many other private organizations. He has
graciously accepted our invitation to be the Event Coordinator for Rabindranath: A Remembrance.

Aniruddho Sanyal: Documentary filmmaker Aniruddho has won critical acclaim for his film on Raja
Ram Mohan Roy titled: “A Bristol Pilgrimage: In Search of Raja Ram Mohan Roy” & “Disconnected
Genius: Dwarakanath and Rabindranath”. This year the documentary on Rabindranath was presented
at the Tagore Festival in London. Aniruddho will be the anchor of a segment of our program where he
will show a very rare documentary on Tagore with testimonials from various luminaries.

Joydeep Bhattacharya: A Rabindrasangeet enthusiast, Joydeep’s musical taste has been built on this
particular genre of music. As such Joydeep will illuminate the public with discussions on Rabindra
Sangeet.

Suparna Guha: Director/ Coordinator Indian Institute of Performing Arts. Suparna was brought up in
the cultural environment of Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. Suparna continues to play an important role in
popularizing Tagore’s works in the US.

Share this article

Bharat Sevashram Sangha NJ to present “Ekti Gnaye Thaki”

July 20, 2011 on 11:56 pm | In Events | No Comments

July 24, 2011
2:00 pm	to	6:00 pm

Bharat Sevashram Sangha presents the following events on July 24th as part of their Fund Raising Event:

Hindustani Classical Vocal by Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik with Pandit Sameer Chatterjee on Tabla and Kedar Naphade on Harmonium

ablaphilia: A Presentation of the four stages of life through vocal and instrumental music, composed and conducted by Pandit Sameer Chatterjee

and

“Ekti Gnaye Thaki” a play in Bengali (with English supertitles) written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik, and produced by ECTA

What makes a family? Who are our family members?
Who is our brother and who is our sister?
What expectations do we have for our family? What are our demands?
Do we all live in a village of strangers?

…Villagers: Sankar, Lili, Subhodev, Aparajita, Dwaipayan, Sudipta, Abhijit
Music: Samya Goswami

“Ekti Gnaye Thaki” is the story of Ranjana and her brother, Rajat, reuniting after fourteen years. Rajat immigrates to the US with his family after Ranjana sponsors their green cards. The reunion is marked by its usual excitement followed by nostal-gia for their hometown Gobindapur they both left behind. Rajat becomes a critical link for Ranjana to relive her past, while Ranjana helps him come to terms with his decision to abandon his familiar world in Gobindapur. Ranjana is also ill and Rajat’s presence offers a long awaited emollient. As the brother and the sister often slip into the past, the rest of the characters are excited at the prospects of their future in the US, especially Rajat’s son, Rajib. Life gradually settles down and a quotidian harmony evolves. Yet from the beginning, the play occasionally and quite subliminally alludes to an underlying subplot that threatens the apparent calm between the two families. Eventually, through a set of related incidents, the undisclosed piece - a rather disconcerting one - is revealed. The disclosure tears apart the growing assurance of the families’ suburban life, and more importantly, sets in motion a drift into the past that interrogates those relationships that were deemed normal. Though this interrogation fractures a happy picture, however, it is through this fracture, we are invited to revisit something more important - the attachment between human be-ings. The play above all, irrespective of its specificities of time and place, is a commentary on what it means to be a human being in relation to those we hold dear in our lives.

Tickets are $75.00, $40, $25, student with ID $15.00 Dinner is included. For more information, please call Ashram at 732-422-8880, email: bssnj@hotmail.com

Share this article